Different types of golf clubs

Based on my interactions with novice golfers, i’ve noticed pattern that for them, the hardest thing to wrap their heads around is the rule set of using golf clubs. They know that driver is the club you use when you make your first shot, but other than that, they are pretty confused. On top of that, there are differences within these categories. Different numbers of woods and irons, which are seemingly similar, but are supposed to be used at different times. All of this quickly adds up and usually confuses poor beginner golfers. So i decided to write a coherent tutorial that would explain to them ins and outs of using different golf clubs.

Currently, there are 5 significant types of golf clubs out there. Here’s quick overview of each of them :

Driver – this is the club you use to make the first shot. This one isn’t as accurate as irons or woods, but it will enable you to hit your ball to make it cover the most distance of all other clubs.

Woods – these are more accurate than the driver, but their design is less focused on making your golf ball cover the longest distance it can. So they should be used accordingly. After you take the first shot with driver, you don’t need it anymore, and you should only use woods and irons. Depending on the distance, also you might want to use hybrids. Most likely, right after hitting ball with a driver, you’ll be using 3-wood golf club. These sorts of clubs were first called woods because their head, which is larger than most other clubs by the way, used to be made out of wood. It’s not anymore, but the name stuck.

Irons are the clubs you use for mid-range distance. They are more accurate and can help you get the ball to the spot right where you want it to be. Irons also have smaller club faces than the other types of clubs mentioned above, but unlike their club heads, those of golf irons tend to be solid, not hollow. Some people say that irons are the most important clubs in the set, so there are many versions available for purchase. Some irons cost as much as few thousand dollars. Their smaller clubheads contribute to their accuracy as well.

Hybrid type is the mix of both – irons and woods. They are the newest golf club type, having emerged in early two thousands. Typically, most hybrids have the best of both worlds. They are easy to hit, because of enlarged sweet spots and club heads, than most irons, but they are more accurate than most woods. Because of this, hybrids have become wildly popular and most golfers, especially the beginners, carry at least one hybrid in their golf bags at all times. Hybrids have many names, most popular being hybrids, obviously, and rescue clubs, also utility clubs.

Putters are the last, but definitely not least important part of any golf club set. They are the clubs that one is supposed to use when one has gotten very close to the hole and wants to finish the job. Obviously, because of this, putters are very accurate and it takes a lot of skill to use them. Because of that, golfers often use putting mats to practice their putting skills.

There used to be many other types of clubs that have come and gone. One example that i remember is a golf club type called niblick, that used to be around in earlier centuries. But times change, and i suppose some of these clubs won’t be around in few decades. If i had to give one more advice about learning basics of golf, it would be this : don’t wait too long to start. You can get the basics down pretty quickly, and after you have, i would advise to go and play on the actual golf course. You learn golf by actually doing it. Going to the teacher is important and useful, but at some point, that also stops being effective tool for the development of your golf skills.

Knowing differences between these types of golf clubs is especially important when you’re collecting golf club set by buying each one separately. You have to know what each of them are supposed to do and how they work to make the best choice. If you’re high handicapper, this might be some help. Otherwise, if you are too busy to do it one by one, buying golf club sets might also be smart choice.